Dietary Thymol Supplementation to Improve Growth in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) and Tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum)

Year 2025, Volume: 40 Issue: 3, 185 - 191, 29.07.2025

Dedi Jusadi , Muhammad Agus Suprayudi , Julie Ekasari , Indra Gunawan Batubara , Septiani Dwi Ningrum Prasetyo , Talita Shofa Adestia

https://doi.org/10.26650/ASE2025.1678137

Abstract

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) are the fish that are commonly farmed in Indonesia. The advancement of improved feeding practices is crucial for the sustainable production of both common carp and tambaqui, leading to better growth performance. This research was conducted to enhance growth performance and improve feed utilization efficiency by using thymol as a feed additive. For common carp, thymol was supplemented at a dose of 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, or 0.8 g/kg commercial feed. While thymol was added to the tambaqui feed formulation at doses of 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, or 0.6 g/kg. Common carp with an initial weight of 3.23±0.00 g were reared in net enclosures for 60 days, while tambaqui weighing 8.22±0.01 g were kept in aquariums for 70 days. The study found that supplementing carp feed with 0.4 g/kg thymol led to the highest growth performance. Meanwhile, feeding tambaqui with thymol at 0.6 g/ kg resulted in significant improvements in growth-related parameters compared to other treatments, including final total biomass, final average weight, protein efficiency ratio, specific growth rate, and antioxidant status. In conclusion, the optimal thymol supplementation levels were found to be 0.4 g/kg for carp and 0.6 g/kg for tambaqui.

Keywords

Thymol, Feed additive, Cyprinus carpio, Colossoma macropomum, Growth Performance

References

• Aanyu, M., Betancor, & M., Monroig, O. (2019). The effects of combined phytogenics on growth and nutritional physiology of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Journal Aquaculture, 519, 1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2019. 734867 google scholar
• Ahmadifar, E., Falahatkar, B., & Akrami, R. (2011). Effects of dietary thymol-carvacrol on growth performance, hematological parameters and tissue composition of juvenile rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 27, 1057-1060. https://doi.Org/101111/j1439-0426.2011.01763.x google scholar
• Alagawany, M., Fareg, M., Abdelnour, S., & El Nesr, S. (2020). A review on the beneficial effect of thymol on health and production of fish. Reviews in Aquaculture, 1(10), https://doi.org/10.1111/raq.12490 google scholar
• Al-Souti, A., Gallardo, W., Glaereboudt, W., & Mahgoub, O. 2019. Attractability and palatability of formulated diets incorporated with chicken feather and algal meals for juvenile gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata. Aquaculture Reports, 14, 100199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aqrep.2019.100199 google scholar
• Amer, S., Metwally, A., & Ahmed, S. (2018). The influence of dietary supplementation of cinnamaldehyde and thymole on growth performance, immunity, and antioxidant status of monosex nila tilapia fingerlings (Oreochromis niloticus). Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research, 44(3), 251 256. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.ejar.2018.07.004 google scholar
• AOAG. (2012). Official method of analysis of the association analytical chemists 15th edition. Washington. google scholar
• Barus, V., Peaz, M., Kohlmann, K. (2001). AULA-G GmbH Wiebelsheim. The freshwater fishes of Europe, v, 5/III; Cyprinidae 2/III, and Gasterosteidae (pp. 85-179), google scholar
• Gasandra, D. (2021). Addition of thymol to feed on the growth performance of Clarias sp, catfish, (Magister Thesis. IPB UniversitY. Bogor). https://repositorY.ipb.ac. id/handle/123456789/105517 google scholar
• El-Hack, M., Alagawany, M., Farag, M., Tiwari, R., Karthik, K., Dhama, K., Zhorriezahra, J., & Adel, M. (2016). Benefical impact of thYmol essential oil on health and production of animals, fish, and poultrY: a review. Journal of Essential Oil Research, 28(5),1-19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10412905.2016.1153002 google scholar
• Eriegha, O., & Ekokutu, P. (2017). Factors affecting feed intake in cultured fish species: a review. Animal Research International, 14(2), 2697-2709. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318258407_FAGTORS_AFFEGTING_ FEED_INTAKE_IN_GULTURED_FISH_SPEGIES_A_REVIEW google scholar
• Fan, X., Hou, T., Sun, T., Zhu, L., Zhang, S., Tang, K., Wang, Z. (2019). Starvation stress affects the maternal development and larval fitness in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Science of The Total Environment, 695, 133897. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. scitotenv.2019.133897 google scholar
• Gianneanas, I., Triantafillou, E., Stavrakakis, S., Margaroni, M., Mavridis, S., Steiner T., & Karagouni, E. (2012). Asessment of dietarY supplementation with carvacrol or thYmol containing feed additives on performance, intestinal microbiota and antioxidant status of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Aquaculture, 350(353), 26-32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2012.04.027 google scholar
• Goddard, S. (1996). Feed management in intensive aquaculture. Ghapman and Hall. google scholar
• Huisman, E. (1987). Department of Fish Gulture and Fisheries. Principles of fish production (p, 187), Wageningen Agriculture University. google scholar
• Jang, I., Ko, Y., Kang, S., & Lee, G. (2007). Effect of commercial essential oils on growth performance, digestive enzyme activity and intestinal microflora population in broiler chickens. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 134, 304-315. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2006.06.009 google scholar
• Ljubojevic, D., Cirkovic, M., Novakov, N., Jovanovic, R., & Jankovic, S. (2013). Productivity and Meat Nutrient in Fish: The Diet Effect. Kafkas Univ Vet Fak Derg, 19(1), 43-49. http:/dx/doi.org/ 10.9775/kvfd.2012.7088 google scholar
• Ljubojevic, D., Cirkovic, M., Novakov, N., Puvaca, N., Aleksic, N. (2014). Gomparison of meat quality of tench, Tinca tinca, reared in extensive and semi-intensive culture systems. J, Appl, Ichthyol, 30 (1), 50-57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jai. 12425 google scholar
• Morselli, M., Baldissera, M., Souza, G., Reis, J., Baldisserotto, B., Sousa, A., Zimmer, F., Lopes, D., Petrolli, T., & Silva, A. (2019). Effects of thYmol supplementation on performance, mortality and branchial energetic 10 metabolism in grass carp experimentallY infected bY Aeromonas hydrophila. Microbial Pathogenesis, 139, 1-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2019.103915 google scholar
• Octaviana, R. (2021). Thymol supplementation in feed to improve the growth performance of catfish Pangasius hypothalmus. (Magister Thesis. IPB UniversitY. Bogor). https://repositorY.ipb.ac.id/handle/123456789/106755 google scholar
• Platel, K., & Srinivasan, K. (2004). Digestive stimulant action of spices; A myt or reality. Indian J, Med, Res, 119, 167-179. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/15218978/ google scholar
• Putra, A. (2016). Prebiotics Application to Increase Growth and Feed Efficiency on Gatfish (Clarias sp.). Jurnal Perikanan dan Kelautan, 6(1), 1-6. https://dx.doi. org/10.33512/jpk.v6i1.1046 google scholar
• Queiroz, F., Kummer, R., Silva, G., Garvalho, M., Gunha, J., Grespan, R., Amado, G., Guman, R. (2012). Effect of thymol and carvacrol, constituents of Thymus vulgaris L. essential oil, on the inflammatory response. Evidence based complementary and alternative, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/657026 google scholar
• Rahardjo, M., Darwati, I., & NurhaYati, H. (2014). The effect of fertilization on the growth, production, and qualitY of thYme plants (Thymus vulgaris). Jurnal Penelitian Tanaman Industri, 20(4), 195-202. http://dx.doi.org/10.21082/jlittri.v 20n4.2014.195-202 google scholar
• Rahman, M. (2015). Role of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in aquaculture production systems. Frontiers in Life Science, 8(4), 399-410, https://doi.org/10.1080/ 21553769.2015.1045629 google scholar
• Shofura, H., Suminto G., (2017). The effect of addition "Probio-7" on artificial feed on the efficiency utilization of feed, growth and survival rate of Gift tilapia fingerlings (Oreochromis niloticus). Sains Akuakultur Tropis, 1(1), 10-20, Retrieved from https://ejournal2.undip.ac.id/index.php/sat/article/ download/2459/1450 google scholar
• StickneY R., & Gatlin D. (2022). Aquaculture: An introductory text 4th edition. GAB International. google scholar
• Tacon, A. (1987). The nutrition and fedding of farmed fish and shrimp-A training mannual, Brazil: FAO of the United Nation, p. 106-109. google scholar
• Tsaknis, J., Lalas, S., & Evmorfopoulos, E., Determination of malondialdehYde in traditional fish products by HPLG. (1999). Analyst, 124(6), 843-5. http://dx.doi. org/10.1039/a902026h google scholar
• Yandes, A., Affandi, R., & Mokoginta, I. (2003). Effect of sellulose in dietary on the biological condition of giant gouramY frY, Jurnal Iktiologi Indonesia, 3, 27-33, Retrieved from https://jurnal-iktiologi.org/index.php/jii/article/view/269 google scholar